In this episode of #OpenTalk with Caloy Conde, we go inside the work of two investigative journalists from Rappler — Dwight de Leon and Lian Buan — who helped uncover massive corruption scandals involving the DPWH, congressmen, and powerful political families.

They reveal the painstaking process behind their exposés on Rep. Zaldy Co, the DPWH flood control scandal, and political contractors across the Philippines — from expensive document fees at the SEC, to threats, intimidations, and the crucial role of citizen-powered journalism.

This conversation explores:

-- How investigative journalists vet anonymous tips

-- The hidden conflicts of interest between politicians and contractors

-- The difficulties and dangers of exposing corruption

-- How Filipinos’ “oversharing culture” on social media helps investigations

-- Why investigative journalism matters for democracy

#Rappler #OpenTalkPodcast #InvestigativeJournalism #DPWHCorruption #ZaldyCo #PhilippinePolitics #PressFreedom #CitizenJournalism #RapplerExposé #PhilippineCorruption #Newsbreak #PoliticalDynasties

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

In this episode of #OpenTalk with Caloy Conde, climate advocate John Leo Algo, national coordinator of Aksyon Klima Pilipinas, reveals shocking details about how the Philippine government’s spends its climate budget over the years and how the Department of Public Works and Highways, which gets the biggest slice of the piece, is not even attending climate consultations.

JL discusses how over 80% of the climate-tagged funds in next year’s budget will go to the DPWH, mostly for flood control projects — many of which are now under scrutiny for alleged corruption, inefficiency, and lack of transparency.

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Link to the DBM’s budget and expenditures for 2024, 2025, 2026: https://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/BESF/BESF2026/B21.pdf

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The conversation also tackles:

🌏 How corruption in flood control affects climate resilience

🏛️ The ₱1 trillion “climate budget”: Where will the money actually go?

📊 DPWH gets 80% of climate funds—why this is a problem

🌏 The mismatch between infrastructure-heavy projects and real climate action

📊 How the Climate Change Commission (CCC) and other agencies struggle with monitoring and accountability

🏛️ How ordinary citizens can demand accountability: The need to localize climate action so LGUs and communities can genuinely respond to the crisis

💬 Anti-corruption advocacy and the role of civil society: Why public pressure and civic engagement remain crucial in fighting corruption

📊 The upcoming COP30 and updates on the Loss and Damage Fund

This episode takes a deep dive into the intersection of climate policy, governance, and corruption—a must-watch for anyone concerned about how climate funds are being used (or misused) in the Philippines.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

Why do Ilocanos remain deeply loyal to the Marcos family — even decades after Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship? Why do people love Rodrigo Duterte even after all the human rights abuses?

In this episode of Open Talk with Caloy Conde, sociologist Ash Presto explains her important fieldwork on political polarization, loyalist mentality, and emotional politics in the Philippines.

Ash, currently pursuing her PhD in Australia, discusses her study on the youth of the so-called Solid North in the Ilocos region, exploring how Marcos nostalgia, public discourse, and creative engagement shape how Ilocanos — especially Gen Z — understand and express political loyalty.

🎧 Topics include:

-- How Filipinos normalize corruption and political misconduct

-- Why “loyalist mentality” goes beyond fake news and regionalism

-- The emotional and cultural roots of Marcos devotion

-- How Gen Z Ilocanos use social media and creative activism to navigate polarization

-- Comparing Marcos and Duterte loyalist behavior

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

When the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) awarded former President Rodrigo Duterte the “Golden Pillar of the Law Award,” the backlash was immediate and intense. Critics say the move is tone-deaf, given Duterte’s record of human rights violations and the bloody war on drugs.

In this episode of #OpenTalk with Caloy Conde, Atty. Ted Te — former Supreme Court spokesperson and FLAG (Free Legal Assistance Group) secretary general — explains why this award undermines the integrity of the legal profession and sends the wrong message to Filipino lawyers and the public.

Highlights:

– Why the IBP award for Duterte shocked many

-- The IBP’s justification for honoring Duterte

– Should Duterte be emulated as a “pillar of justice”?

-- The controversy surrounding the award’s inscription

– The ethical contradiction of honoring Duterte

-- How the legal community reacted

-- The meaning of the lawyer’s oath and ethical duty

-- The broader impact on justice, rule of law, and human rights in the Philippines

– What this controversy says about the state of justice in PH

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

They unpack the Philippine Senate resolution urging the ICC to grant house arrest for former President Rodrigo Duterte, and why this has no legal bearing under the Rome Statute.

Key issues discussed include:

-- Why house arrest does not exist in ICC rules

-- The fairness principle in ICC detention facilities

-- Disinformation about Duterte’s health and detention conditions

-- How the Senate resolution serves Philippine domestic politics

-- The Duterte family’s continuing political influence

-- The Marcos administration’s dilemma in handling ICC cooperation

-- The rights of thousands of victims of the drug war

-- Why this case matters for international criminal justice

👉 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to Open Talk for more in-depth discussions on Philippine politics, human rights, and international law.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

In this Open Talk episode, host Caloy Conde unpacks with lawyer Jess Falcis the ongoing Senate Blue Ribbon hearings on alleged DPWH flood-control corruption—from the politics of the “theater” that is the committee to the substance of evidence and due-process concerns.

In Part 1 of the episode, Caloy and Atty. Jess discuss:

-- How Senate hearings function “in aid of legislation” and as political theater

-- Chairmanship style and procedure under Sen. Ping Lacson (time management, equal floor time)

-- The roles and mentions of Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian, and others

-- Witness dynamics involving Brice Hernandez and Henry Alcantara

This episode offers legal and political context to help viewers make sense of what’s happening — beyond the headlines. Share your take in the comments: Are the hearings moving us closer to truth and accountability?

👍 If you find this helpful, please like, subscribe, and hit the 🔔 to get new episodes of Open Talk.

#OpenTalkPH #DPWH #SenateHearing #FloodControl #CorruptionProbe #JessFalcis #PingLacson #PhilippinePolitics #Corruption #MarcosWatch part two: (Part 2): For Probe to Move Forward, Lacson Committee Needs to Break Alcantara - YouTube

Watch part 3:(Part 3): In the Philippines, Corrupt Officials Are Protected by Certain Laws - YouTube

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

In this episode of Open Talk, host Caloy Conde sits down with award-winning Filipino author Jose “Butch” Dalisay Jr. to explore the fascinating intersections of writing, poker, and life lessons.

Dalisay—author of more than 45 books and countless essays, short stories, and columns—shares his experiences as a writer, teacher, and poker player. He talks about his latest book "Windows on Writing," his ongoing projects, and how poker has sharpened his discipline, mindfulness, and storytelling craft.

This insightful discussion sheds light on why poker is not just gambling but also a game of skill, character, and philosophy—teaching lessons about risk-taking, humility, patience, and resilience that apply both to writing and to life.

👉 If you’ve ever wondered how great writers think, where they draw inspiration, and how games like poker can shape creativity, this conversation will surprise you.

Don’t miss this rare, candid talk with one of the Philippines’ most celebrated literary icons.

#JoseDalisay #ButchDalisay #OpenTalk #FilipinoWriters #PokerLife #WritingTips #PhilippineLiterature #CreativeWriting #LifeLessons #CaloyConde

HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 Introduction – Caloy Conde welcomes Jose “Butch” Dalisay Jr.

01:39 Launching Windows on Writing and reflections on 45 books

05:15 From literature to poker: Why talk about the game

06:09 Gambling or discipline? Dalisay on being a recreational player

10:12 Why poker is skill, not just chance

15:13 Poker at MetroCard Club – community and culture

17:17 The poker community: Grinders, stakers, pros, and amateurs

19:45 How poker fuels writing and storytelling

26:12 Life lessons: Risk, humility, and resilience at the table

27:22 Managing victories and defeats without ego

33:40 Cognitive benefits: poker as mental sharpness training

36:00 End

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

In this #OpenTalk episode, Carlos Conde sits down with Atty. Ted Te — UP College of Law professor, former Supreme Court spokesperson, and newly elected chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) — to reflect on 50 years of human rights lawyering in the Philippines.

Ted discusses FLAG’s commemorative book "Frontliners for Human Rights," which documents landmark and forgotten cases from martial law under Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to present-day struggles for justice.

Topics covered include:

🚩 The founding of FLAG during martial law and its philosophy of developmental legal advocacy

🚩 Landmark habeas corpus cases and the creation of the writ of amparo and habeas data

-🚩 FLAG’s battles against the death penalty, suppression of protests, and economic injustices

🚩 Access to justice and the continuing struggle against impunity under Duterte and Marcos Jr.

🚩 Why remembering martial law and strengthening accountability institutions remain crucial today

This conversation is both a look back at history and a call to action for lawyers, advocates, and citizens to defend civil liberties and human rights in the Philippines.

📖 Frontliners for Human Rights marks FLAG’s 50th anniversary — a reminder that while much has been achieved, the fight for justice continues.

#opentalk #TedTe #HumanRights #MartialLaw #FLAG #Philippines #NeverAgain #CarlosConde #Justice #LawAndSociety

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

Mass protests and unrest in Indonesia are once again shaking Southeast Asia’s largest democracy. Rooted in economic inequality, misgovernance, and official indifference, today’s turmoil echoes the country’s turbulent history going back to 1965.

In this episode, Human Rights Watch senior researcher Andreas Harsono explains how severe economic hardships — including the “disappearance” of 10 million members of the middle class — fueled public anger that in recent days bubbled into the surface especially after the death of a gig driver in the hands of the police. The violence that erupted has resulted in death and mayhem and threatens to upend Indonesian society.

Andreas, also a longtime journalist, warns that what is happening in Indonesia is a cautionary tale for the Philippines, where similar problems of inequality, corruption, and weak governance persist. He offers three pieces of advice to Filipinos: learn from the mistakes of their past, repeal repressive laws, and improve media and journalism.

Carlos and Andreas unpack:

-- Why corruption and economic collapse triggered unrest in Indonesia

-- The historical parallels to Indonesia’s bloody past and the Philippines' own turbulent history

-- The human cost of losing a middle class

-- Why Filipinos should pay close attention

👉 Subscribe for more deep-dive discussions on human rights, democracy, and accountability in Asia.

#Indonesia #Philippines #HumanRights #Corruption #Inequality #AndreasHarsono #HRW #SoutheastAsia #GoJek

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com

In this episode of #OpenTalk, Caloy Conde speaks with psychiatrist Dr. Nuelle Duterte, niece of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, about the controversial claim that Duterte is suffering from “cognitive impairment” or early dementia.

Dr. Nuelle strongly doubts the claim, pointing out that:

-- Duterte's camp has not presented any independent professional evaluation of his mental health

-- Duterte appeared healthy just months ago.

-- His children, who often visit him in The Hague, have not confirmed any illness.

-- His daughter Kitty Duterte even posted that she saw her father recently and he was fine.

Instead, Dr. Nuelle suggests the “dementia” narrative is a legal defense strategy in Duterte’s ongoing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity linked to the Philippine drug war and extrajudicial killings (EJKs).

The discussion also highlights:

-- The potential stigma this kind of claim creates around mental health.

-- The urgent need to focus on the victims and families of the drug war, rather than the former president’s alleged condition.

👉 Watch the full conversation for a different perspective on Duterte, mental health stigma, and accountability at the ICC.

#Philippines #Duterte #ICC #DrugWar #MentalHealth #EJKs #HumanRights

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit carlosconde.substack.com